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Heater beater whites
Many
well priced Vintages discoveries in today's release
© Michael Vaughan 2002
National
Post Weekly Wine & Spirits Columnist
National Post • Saturday,
August 3, 2002
This is
Vintages buyer beware month. Why? Well of the 143 new faces on the
shelves today, 17 are “previous releases” which have not been
retasted. Given the lowly marks that some of these wines initially
received, I can’t imagine many of them being worth buying, even at the
reduced prices.
A key
exception might be Chateau
St. Jean 1999 Sonoma Fumé Blanc,
which has been reduced from $24.00 to $18.95. But then again, it would
probably be worth waiting to the upcoming August 17th
Vintages sale when the even better 1999
Fumé Blanc Russian River La Petite Etoile Vineyard
hits the sale shelves
at $19.95.
 Given
the heat, today’s selection focuses on heater beater whites. Riesling
fans should make a beeline to the Alsace section where Caves
de Beblenheim 2000 Riesling Réserve ‘Particulière’
with its honeyed,
racy, ripe lemon-lime aromas and very dry, crisp, lingering, melon-lemon
flavours can be had for a very reasonable $13.45.
Just a tad
cheaper and slightly more mature is a decent Ontario effort Inniskillin
1999 Riesling Reserve at $12.95. The dry,
tangy, fairly well structured, dried lemon and
lime peel flavours are a perfect pick-me-up.
 The
greatest bargain of the release, however, is a sweet, still racy,
Riesling from Germany. At only $15.95, make sure you get a bottle of Reichsgraf
von Kesselstatt 1995 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett.
The slightly sweet but refreshing, ripe winter melon and lemon flavours
are perfectly balanced with just 7.5% alcohol. I was swept away with the
remarkable quality of this effort which is sheer perfection sipped cold
(not iced), while lounging on the patio or beside a tranquil lake.
 This estate
has been making wine since the 14th century. The winery is located in
Morscheid, a small village in the upper Ruwer valley not far from the
city of Trier. Under the hands of Annegret Reh-Gartner and her husband
Gerhard Gartner, it is one of Germany’s finest producers.
At $13.95,
there is a new Italian white worth exploring also carries some Riesling
parentage. Massottina 2000 Incrocio Manzoni
‘6.0.13’ is
a Veneto IGT from Colli Trevigiani. It is named after a grape created by
Professor Luigi Manzoni of Viticulture and Enology School in Conegliano.
Incrocio is the Italian word
for ‘vine crossing’ (in this case between Riesling and Pinot Bianco),
while ‘6.0.13’
indicates the vine’s location in the original experimental vineyard
(the 6th row and the 13th plant). You can rest assured that in a blind
tasting, nobody is going to guess this one. The dry, crisp but balanced,
bright, unoaked, citrusy, ripe apple flavours make a perfect foil for
seafood.
 In
terms of unique, you will be hard pressed to find a better oyster match
than this unusual, Musadet-inspired, unoaked white from the Côteaux du
Languedoc. At only $10.80, Domaine de la Mirande 2001 Picpoul De
Pinet is a wine to be reckoned with. Named
after the grape, I first encountered this austere, crisp, lemony, green
pear peel flavoured white while devouring an incredibly fresh platter of
French shellfish in a small coastal restaurant near Montpellier (where
the Vinisud wine fair was being held).
 Moving
on, Chardonnay fans have real reason to whoop it up. There are three
very fine Burgundies in today’s release. Unquestionably, the nutty,
chalky character of genuine Chablis is not everyone’s cup of tea. Like
Picpoul, it’s not the kind of stuff you sit around slurping by itself.
Nevertheless, veterans should love the intense idiosyncratic flavours of
the award-winning Pascal
Bouchard 1998 Chablis Grande Réserve du Domaine Vieilles Vignes
at $21.90. While showing some age, the solid, dry, rather nutty, white
pepper, dried lemon peel taste show excellent length and typicity.
Another food
wine is Paul Talmard 2000 Mâcon-Uchizy.
At only $13.95 it will appeal to fans of Pouilly Fuissé at a
much-reduced price. This 100% Chard is complex, dry and well structured
with slightly spicy, ripe lemon flavours with a very zesty lingering
finish
 Also
recommended is Château De Chamirey 1999 Mercurey
‘Marquis de Jouennes d’Herville’
at $27.95. This Chard originates in Chalonnaise region just south of the
Côte be Beaune. Fear not, some of the best Burgundies I have tasted
have originated in this commune. This one has a complex, slightly nutty,
schisty, dried lemon nose, which continues on the palate. It finishes
with fairly toasty, dried Anjou pear flavours and is best with white
meats or poultry.
 Don’t
miss the wonderful, refined and yet very flavourful Chard from Chile’s
Casablanca Valley. The outstanding Santa
Rita 2001 Chardonnay ‘Medalla Real’
at only $14.95 will fly off the shelves. Bright, gently cedary, lime and
ripe lemon blossoms thrill the nose, while the harmonious, ripe melon,
grapefruity, vanilla-tinged, Anjou pear flavours caress the palate. A
winner from start to finish.
 A
very fine refresher from Southwest France is Château
De La Jaubertie 2000 Bergerac Sec,
which is Sémillon based with some Sauvignon. At $11.80 it offers
attractive, dry, very crisp, grassy, fresh apricot-grapefruit flavours
and a lingering, unoaked finish. It makes a great heater beater.
Ditto for Torres 2000 Gran Vina Sol,
which is a partial barrel fermented blend of 85% Chardonnay and 15%
Parellada. Originating in the rolling Penedes hills overlooking the
popular resort of Sitges, it has lots of toasty, dried Anjou pear
flavours and can still improve with another 6-12 months of aging. At
$13.50 it is pretty good value.
 Moving on,
one should consider doing a comparative tasting of the two new stellar
Tavel rosés. Check out
Domaine Maby 2001 Tavel ‘La Forcadière’
at $14.90. It has a lovely, gently honeyed, juicy, ripe strawberry nose
and is well balanced, dry and rounded with spicy, dried strawberry
flavours. Its
companion, Château De Trinquevedel 2001 Tavel
($14.55) is somewhat drier with fine, restrained, wild strawberry notes.
Beware, both have 14% alcohol.
 Given
the heat, the thought of rushing down to a Vintages store may well be
the farthest thing from your mind. If so, then check out this great
general list summer refresher Aveleda 2000 Vinho Verde
at $8.00 (CSPC 5322). Born in the dense rolling hills of Northern
Portugal near Oporto, this faintly sparkling, “green wine” is made
from a symphony of indigenous Portuguese varieties. Once you pop the
cork and pour, you will notice that it is flushed with tiny rapidly
disappearing bubbles. It is very light bodied and just off dry on the
palate with slightly honeyed, beeswax, floral, tangerine and dried ripe
apricot flavours. Light, refreshing and very easy to sip with just 8.5%
alcohol, it is perfect for those hot sultry nights when a more potent
wine will simply dull the senses.
Now
available:
The list of 384 products being featured in the upcoming August
17th Vintages Sale.
This PDF file (usually
reserved for Vintage Assessment subscribers) is complete with
evaluations, agents and cases in warehouse (as per our July report).
Naturally, we hope that you decide to become a supporter. There are more
than a dozen best buys and many recommended items. To see Click Here
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